Iraqis went to the Poll. There was violence and some 35 people lost their lives. But the insurgents did not succeed. The reports I have seen show that the elections went well, was well organized and reasonably fair. It shows that the people are speaking with one voice--the need to change. Now the real work begins.
Iraq is a country that is frankly broken in many ways. People can't find jobs. The infrastructure is non-existent. More importantly, the Political leadership is mostly interested in perpetuating its own power structure than actually working to overcome and rebuild. Yet, I believe that the Iraqi People must be congratulated to have turned out in such force to speak for change.
But, there is also one more profound hotspot that should be of concern. George Mitchell is back in the Middle East to start indirect talks. My reaction was simply this: "whatever". The West Bank seems to have made a nascent recovery since 2007. But, land grabs continue. The Israeli Prime Minister has been apparently targeting Muslim Holy Sites. Illegal Settlements are continuing with token Israeli response. What is clear is that the Palestinians have done everything they can according to the roadmap. They have rebuilt institutions, stamped out corruption, began a concerted effort to rebuild their economy and are making progress. Joe Klein talked about in a recent Time Magazine Column he wrote when he was in the Middle East.
There is also a sublte shift by Hamas. Fawaz Gerges, one of the Pre-Eminent Middle East Scholars, has writen on the transformation onf Hamas in a recent edition of the Nation Magazine. He lays out how Hamas has continued to change its stance as it has contineud to rule Gaza. Khaled Mashal has said that that there is an entity called Israel. The Israeli Right and the Amen Crowd in the United States seem to not accept and understand that. Israel's current governing coaliton rejects a Palestinian State despite all the pronoucements that have been made since 1967. What is bothersome is that Israel wants International law to be applied to Iran--yet it exempts itself by virtue of its actions.
As Iraq reached a milestone, there is more challenges to come. The challenge for Iraq is whether the political elite of the country will have the courage to go beyond their narrow self-interest and work for the country and not take five months to form a government. The people of Iraq cannot afford any more disappointments. As for the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, I wish Senator Mitchell success. So far, it has been a utter failure. I have to wonder what will be achieved with this "indirect" approach after all the direct approaches so far. I also wonder what is preventing the United States from putting its' foot down and basically tell Israel that it has to change its ways. Senator Mitchell floated the idea of potentially taking away Israel's financial guarantee if Israel balked at making peace. He was crucified. What are choice is there left?
September 27th 2009 17:26
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Truly Never a Dull Moment!!!!
Iran has been busy yet again. Between a new Uranium Enrichment Plant and new military manuevours, it is clear that Iran is trying to assert its' military might. The talks coming up on October 1 is going to be pivotal. What is bothersome is how Iran seems to be forgetting what is important vs. what is imperative. The U.S. seemed to have known before Iran voluntarily notified the IAEA. The Iranian Political leadership's crediblity is non-existent. I would love to be a fly on the wall to see what Saeed Jalili, Iran's Point man on the nuclear negotations, will do to talk Iran out of this latest fiasco.
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Truly Never a Dull Moment!!!
It has been a very busy week-end. There is of course Burma and the fact that Jim Webb got to see the Pro-Democracy Leader and the Chief Thug who runs Burma today. There is the burning debate over healthcare that dominated the airwaves over the week-end on U.S Sunday Talk Show Circuit. There was of course Afghanistan and the upcoming election. And last, but no tleast, there is of course Iran.
Here was a sampling of the debate over healthcare
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...Let's not lose hope, yet!!!
As I write this, the official results are being announced by the Ministry of the Interior. What has been reported by the Interior Ministry is quite remarkable. The Al Jazeera correspodent is reporting that the Incubment President has gotten over 24,000,000 Votes (some 64% of the vote). There are reports that The incumbent has even won in the City of Tabriz, Mr. Mousavi's Hometown. What is even more strange is that the results were announced as the voting continued to go on. I wonder what happened to all the votes of the Iranian ex-pats who voted in some 133 countries. But, there are still a few other steps that need to be taken before the "official" results are announced. So, this drama will play itself out for a while yet
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A Lot of Work Still Ahead....
As I continue to assess the aftermath of Mr. Obama's Speech, I was particuarly keen to find out the official reaction of the Iranian Government now that the speech was actually given. I have not seen any indication of an "official" response yet. The world hopefully realizes that Iran is in the midst of an election.
There were some crucial elements of the speech that should truly be noted as a change for Iran. There was an acknowledgement of the role the United States played in the overthrow of Dr. Mohammad Mossadeq in 1953. The CIA spent 700,000 Dollars to bring back the Shah. This is a historical fact and is not in dispute. Furthermore, the President went further by noting Iran's right to nuclear energy. This should also be appealing to the Iranian Government. But he did also note that Iran's record is not pristine either. The 1979 hostage crisis is one of the darkest chapters in Iranian history. Mr. Khatami did apologize for this and the so-called students who took over the embassy came out in the 90's to acknowledge the historical mistake. There is general consesus that this move helped to consolidate and preseve the Islamic Republic during its' most unstable time
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Not Surprised At all....
I have been assessing the reaction to Mr. Obama speech throughout the day. These are two images of people tuned in throughout the Muslim World (Source: The BBC):
A Muslim Family in India
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A Renewed Committment.....
Today is Easter. It is a day to celebrate and to remember. As all of us pray for those who are in harm's way, we ought to also remember those who did not live to see this blessed day. I especially am mindful of those who lost their lives in Italy during that terrible earthquake. I am also reminded of those who continue to lose their lives everyday to hunger and disease despite all the abundance in our world.
We must make a renewed committment to find hunger, disease, homelessness and injustice anywhere. We must work to embrace creativity and embrace the new while remembering the best of the old. I view this as a solemn responsbility especially for those who have the bullypulpit. As someone who has the privilege to teach and to write, I wanted to do my small part to live up to this committment. We have to continue to think about our future so that we can emerge stronger. It was in this spirit that I decided to launch Outsider Views and to take on moderating Kitten Politics here within the ever-growing Orble Community. It has been a journey that I will continue on. At times, I have felt that the struggle is a lonely one. But, the prospect of doing nothing is something that I refuse to do
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Will the People be Allowed to make their choice known?
Iran's Election is coming up. I have written here about the candidacy of Mir Hossein Mossavi, the Former Prime Minister who is vying to replace the current President. He held a press conference earlier this week in Tehran, where he vowed to end "extremism". I was also quite gratified when I saw his committment to pursue what he termed as "detente" with the west. He noted that, "..we have to make a lot of effort to gain the world's trust once again.". I find this a powerful statement from a pillar of the establishment who was a key figure during the War with Iraq. He is known as an honest and efficient manager who kept the country together during those trying years.
The unknown quantity here is the Supreme Leader Ali Khameini. I listened to his New Year Message in the City of Mashad, when he spoke out after Barack Obama's New Year Message. He said that he is only one man and has one vote and will note support any candidate. He said that he saw his role as supporting the Government of the Day. I hope that he would truly live up to this committment. Although Iranians are a proud nation with a rich history, they are also patient. If they were not patient, they would not put up with all that they have had to endure over the past thirty years
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I am not surprised at the Republicans...
The President Arrives For His First Day....A Busy One too!!!
The first day of the Obama Adminstration has begun. The President began his day by attending the National Prayer Service and got down to work. I saw him when he met with the White House and signed off on the new Ethics Rules. He has also been meeting with the Economics and National Security Teams. They have hit the ground running. Unfortunately, the Senate has not done the job by confirming the nominees. At least three key members are yet to be confirmed. A new Era has truly begun
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..and now the real work begins......
A New Dawn Has Arrived
Barack Hussein Obama is now the 44th President of the United States. Throughout my lifetime, I have had the privilege to read on the traditions and was finally able to be a true witness to this momentous transfer of power due to the power of technology. I have continued to marvel at how someone with so much power gives it up so willingly because the people are truly sovereign in America. This was quite moving when the President and the First Lady escorted Former Mr. and Mrs. Bush
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The Coverage Has Fallen off the Face of the Earth....
Gaza continues to be under siege by the Israelis. Israel has initiated the blockade with the support of Egypt because of the security threat from Hamas. Some have said that Gaza is the world's largest prison. I am truly trying to see and think through a solution that all can live with. Whatever ideas folks have had has only resulted in misery for all. Israelis have to continue to live in fear. Palestianians continue to suffer because they cannot simply have the basic necessities that is necessary. Israel pulled out of Gaza. But, it continues to control the Air, the Sea and Land borders of Gaza. I am sure Israel understands its' obligations. But somehow the suffering of the ordinary Palestianian that is neither a member of Hamas or any the families should never be forgotten. From what I have seen, it is in fact the case.
The plight of the Palestinians was discussed in this film showcased in Toronto last month
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Mike Pouraryan
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